Cover

ABSTRACT

A washable, stretchable, flexible, vinyl fabric cover for enclosing an adjustable arm assembly as used in a hospital or nursing home for supporting a television receiver for viewing by a patient. The adjustable arm assembly with which the fabric cover may be used includes forward and rearward pairs of elongated arms pivotally connected at adjacent ends thereof to a central pivot plate arrangement and at opposite ends thereof to front and rear pivot plate arrangements, respectively. The fabric cover of the invention includes first and second generally flat, generally rectangular, elongated flexible sections joined by a sheet of stretch material and each including a slide fastener arrangement, in the form of a zipper, along the edges of the section. The first and second sections of the fabric cover have cup-like end portions. The first and second sections are made initially to generally respectively overlie the forward and rearward pairs of arms, which are preferably in horizontal positions at this time, and the cup-like end portion of the second section is arranged to cup around the rear pivot plate arrangement. The first section is then pulled in a direction away from the second section until the cup-like end portion of the first section is able to tightly grip around the front pivot plate arrangement. The sheet of stretch material, which is stretched in the process of pulling the first section, generally overlies the central pivot plate arrangement at this time. The edges of the first and second sections of the fabric cover are joined together to enclose the arm assembly by use of the zippers provided at these edges.

i United States Patent 91 Carlisle et al.

[ COVER [75] Inventors: Neil K. Carlisle, Chelmsford; James L. Pettee, Winchester, both of Mass.

[73] Assignee: GTE Sylvania Incorporated,

Stamford, Conn.

[22] Filed: Mar. 26, 1975 [21] Appl. No.: 562,267

Primary ExaminerDonald F. Norton Attorney, Agent, or FirmPeter Xiarhos; Elmer J. Nealon; Norman J. OMalley [57] ABSTRACT A washable, stretchable, flexible, vinyl fabric cover for enclosing an adjustable arm assembly as used in a hospital or nursing home for supporting a television receiver for viewing by a patient. The adjustable arm as- Nov. 4, 1975 sembly with which the fabric cover may be used includes forward and rearward pairs of elongated arms pivotally connected at adjacent ends thereof to a central pivot plate arrangement and at opposite ends thereof to front and rear pivot plate arrangements, respectively. The fabric cover of the invention includes first and second generally flat, generally rectangular, elongated flexible sections joined by a sheet of stretch material and each including a slide fastener arrangement, in the form of a zipper, along the edges of the section. The first and second sections of the fabric cover have cup-like end portions. The first and second sections are made initially to generally respectively overlie the forward and rearward pairs of arms, which are preferably in horizontal positions at this time, and the cup-like end portion of the second section is arranged to cup around the rear pivot plate arrangement. The first section is then pulled in a direction away from the second section until the cup-like end portion of the first section is able to tightly grip around the front pivot plate arrangement. The sheet of stretch material, which is stretched in the process of pulling the first section, generally overlies the central pivot plate arrangement at this time. The edges of the first and second sections of the fabric cover are joined together to enclose the arm assembly by use of the zippers provided at these edges.

12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 1 of 8 3,916,967

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet2of8 3,916,967

U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 3 of8 3,916,967

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet40f8 3,916,967

nmm

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1-975 Sheet 5 of 8 3,916,967

U (D l0 llll llvlllllllllllllIlllllllll' US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 6 of8 3,916,967

RECEIVER Fig. 7.

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 7 of8 3,916,967

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 8 of8 3,916,967

I COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cover and, more particularly, to a washable, stretchable, flexible, vinyl fabric cover for enclosing an adjustable arm assembly as used in a hospital or nursing home for supporting a television receiver for viewing by a patient.

In a co-pending patent application of Gordon B. Stanley, Ser. No. 562,268, filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is described in detail an adjustable arm assembly which is used to support a television receiver for viewing by a viewer such as a patient in a hospital or nursing home. As described in detail in the aforementioned patent application, the adjustable arm assembly is attached via a mounting bracket to a vertical support structure such as a wall and includes a forward pair of elongated arms and a rearward pair of elongated arms. Each of the pairs of arms includes an upper arm and a lower arm. The forward and rearward pairs of arms are pivotally connected at adjacent ends thereof to a central pivot plate arrangement by which the forward and rearward pairs of arms are able to move with respect to each other. The other ends of the forward pair of arms are pivotally connected to a front pivot plate arrangement to which a television receiver is coupled by means of an adjustable swivel attachment, and the other ends of the rearward pair of arms are pivotally attached to a rear pivot plate arrangement to which a coupling member is fixedly attached for interconnecting the arm assembly with a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket in turn is attached to the vertical supporting structure at a predetermined height from the level of the floor.

A television receiver supported by the arm assembly is maintained in a positive, drift-free, stable location at any one of several possible heights or distances from the mounting bracket by means of a plurality of pairs of load-compensated helical springs variously connected to the forward and rearward pairs of arms and to the front, central and rear pivot plate arrangements.

The arm assembly is capable of movement within a large number of possible planes and of subtending an angle of at least 135 in moving between its uppennost position and its lowermost position.

While the abovedescribed adjustable arm assembly has simple and esthetically pleasing lines by virtue of its simple, uncluttered design, it has been found desirable in some hospital and nursing home installations to provide a cover for such an arm assembly so that the arm assembly will blend with existing hospital decor. In addition, such a cover has been found desirable to prevent the accumulation of dust or other foreign matter in the various parts of the arm assembly, particularly the coils of the springs, thereby reducing the amount of cleaning maintenance required by the arm assembly. The present invention is directed to a cover which satisfies the abovestated purposes and objectives.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cover in accordance with the present invention ina second, opposed end portion having a cup-like configuration. The first end portions of the first and second sections are arranged with respect to each other so that the first end portion of one of the sections overlies the first end portion of the other section. A flat sheet of stretch material interconnects the first end portions of the first and second sections.

The cover of the invention further includes a first means disposed at the edges of the first section parallel to the length of the first section, and a second means disposed at the edges of the second section parallel to the length of the second section. The first and second means are employed in accordance with the invention to respectively join the edges of the first and second sections together.

The cover as briefly described hereinabove is particularly useful in covering an assembly such as an arm assembly including first and second adjacent elongated arms and a plurality of pivot plates variously connected with the ends of the first and second arms. In this case, each of the first and second sections of the cover is used to enclose a corresponding one of the arms and is made to have a length generally equal to the length of the corresponding arm. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the first and second sections are movable with respect to each other, by virtue of the stretching capability of the sheet of stretch material, and the cupcludes a first, generally-rectangular, generallyflat, flexlike end portions of the sections are made to embrace particular ones of the pivot plates connected with the ends of the arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Various objects, features and advantages of a cover in accordance with the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate three operating positions of an adjustable arm assembly with which a fabric cover in accordance with the invention may be used;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are top and bottom views of the fabric cover in accordance-with the invention;

FIG. 6 is a view of the cover of FIGS. 4 and 5, illustrating certain internal details of the cover; and

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the manner in which the cover of the invention is used to enclose the adjustable arm as sembly as shown in FIGS. l-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to FIGS. l-3, there is shown an adjustable arm assembly 1 with which a fabric cover 50 (FIGS. 46) in accordance with the present invention may be used. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the adjustable arm assembly 1 is arranged to support a television receiver 3 for purposes of viewing by a viewer (e.g., a patient in a hospital or nursing home), and is mounted for use to a vertical support structure such as a flat wall 5. The arm assembly 1 and the television receiver 3 are generally positioned in a typical hospital or nursing home installation so as to be readily and easily used by a patient who is in a bed or seated in a bedside chair. The arm assembly 1 generally includes a forward pair of elongated parallel arms 6, a rearward pair of elongated parallel arms 7, front, central and rear pivot plate arrangements 9, 10, and 1 1, respectively, and four pairs of helical springs 12-15. The forward pair of arms 6 includes an upper arm 6a and a lower arm 6b and, similarly, the rearward pair of arms 7 includes an upper arm 7a and a lower arm 7b. The arms 6a, 6b, and 7a and 7b are typically of the same length, for example, 22 inches, and are typically formed from hollow, tubular stock, for example, of steel, having a typically rectangular cross section. As shown in FIGS. l3, the arms 6a and 6b of the forward pair of arms 6 are adjustably connected between the front and central pivot plate arrangements 9 and 10, respectively, and, similarly, the arms 7a and 7b of the rearward pair of arms 7 are adjustably connected between the central and rear pivot plate arrangements 10 and 11, respectively. Any suitable fastening members, such as pivot pins and the like, may be used for the above purpose.

The aforementioned pairs of helical springs 12, 13, I4 and 15 are variously connected between the arms 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b and the pivot plate arrangements 9, l and 11. Specifically, the pair of springs 12 is connected from opposite sides of the arm 6a to corresponding sides of the arm 6b (via the front pivot plate arrangement 9); the pair of springs 13 is connected from opposite sides of the arm 6b to corresponding, opposite sides of the central pivot plate arrangement the pair of springs 14 is connected from opposite sides of the arm 7a to corresponding, opposite sides of the arm 7b; and the pair of springs 15 is connected from opposite sides of the arm 7b to corresponding opposite sides of the rear pivot plate arrangement 11. The above-described pairs of helical springs 12, 13, 14 and 15, typically of steel, are selected to have physical characteristics and are positioned with respect to the arms 60, 6b, 7a and 7b and the pivot plate arrangements 9, l0 and 11 so as to enable the arm assembly 1 to support the television receiver 3 so that the receiver 3 may be easily and readily located for viewing in any one of a very large number of possible positions from the wall 5, both high and low and near and far, and in a positive, stable, drift-free fashion.

The arm assembly 1 as described hereinabove is attached to a vertical support structure, such as the wall 5, by means of a wall mounting bracket 30 and a coupling member 32. The wall mounting bracket 30, of a standard configuration, is secured to the wall 5 and includes a generally cylindrical cavity therein within which a cylindrical mating part of the coupling member 32 is received and within which the coupling member 32 is able to rotate to provide horizontal movement for the arm assembly 1. The coupling member 32 is fixedly attached at an upper part thereof to the rear pivot plate arrangement 11. A television receiver to be used with the arm assembly 1, such as the television receiver 3 shown in FIGS. 13, is attached to the arm assembly 1, specifically, to the front pivot plate arrangement 9, by means of an adjustable swivel attachment 40.

The fabric cover 50 of the invention which may be used with the abovedescribed adjustable arm assembly 1 is shown in detail in FIGS. 4-6. As shown in these figures, the fabric cover 50 includes a generally-flat, generally-rectangular. flexible, elongated first section 51 and a generallyflat, generally-rectangular, flexible, elongated second section 52. The first section 51 of the cover 50 is used primarily to enclose the arms 6a and 6b of the forward pair of arms 6 of the arm assembly 1 and has a length a essentially equal to the lengths of the arms 6a and 6b. for example, 22 inches. Similarly, the second section 52 of the cover 50 is used primarily to enclose the arms 7a and 7b of the rearward pair of arms 7 of the arm assembly 1 and has a length b essentially equal to the lengths of the arms 7a and 7b, for example, 22 inches.xSuitable minimum and maximum widths for the sections 51 and 52 are 8 inches and 9 inches, respectively.

The sections 51 and 52 of the cover 50 are joined, or interconnected, at adjacent ends thereof by means of a fiat sheet of stretch fabric material 54, the sheet of stretch fabric material 54 being typically secured to the sections 51 and 52 by means of stitching, as shown at 55 in FIGS. 5 and 6. As best shown in FIG. 4, the sections 51 and 52 are arranged with respect to each other so that the adjacent ends thereof overlap each other by an amount d, for example, three inches, to provide flap portions 51a and 52a. The purpose of the flap portions 51a and 52b will be apparent hereinafter.

The first and second sections 51 and 52 of the cover 50 further have Zippers 58 and 59 respectively associated therewith for use in enclosing the arm assembly 1 with the cover 50. As best shown in FIG. 6, the zipper 58, which is of conventional construction, includes a first row of teeth 58a (e.g., of metal or plastic) attached along amajor portion of the length of one edge of the section 51, a second row of teeth 58b attached along a major portion of the length the other edge of the section 51, and a sliding tab 586 engaging the row of teeth 58b and capable of movement along the row of teeth 58b. The row of teeth 58a also has an elongated lock member 58d at one end thereof adapted to interlock in a conventional fashion with the sliding tab 58c and also with a receiving member 58e at the corresponding end of the row of teeth 58b. Stops for the rows of described 58a and 58b, for terminating the movement of the sliding tab 580 as the rows of teeth 58a and 58b are joined together, are provided at opposite ends of the rows of teeth 58a and 58b at 58f. In a similar fashion as describe above, the zipper 59 includes a first row of teeth 59a attached along a major portion of the length of one edge of the section 52, a second row of teeth 59b attached along a major portion of the length of the other edge of the section 52, and a sliding tab 590 engaging the row of teeth 59a. The row of teeth 59b also has an elongated lock member 59d at one end thereof adapted to interlock with the sliding tab 59c and also with a receiving member 59e at the corresponding end of the row of teeth 59a. Stops for the rows of teeth 59a and 59b for terminating the movement of the sliding tab 590 as the rows of teeth 59a and 59b are joined together are provided at opposite ends of the rows of teeth 59a and 59b at 59f.

The first andsecond sections 51 and 52 further include cup-like end portions 51b and 52b, respectively, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The end portion 51b of the section 51 is adapted to grip around the end of the front pivot plate arrangement 9 of the arm assembly 1, and, for this reason, is made to have a generally round, curved contour. The end portion 52b of the section 52 is adapted to grip around the end of the rear pivot plate arrangement 11 and also around a portion of the associated coupling member 32 and, for this reason, is made to have a generally squared-off configuration. For other designs of arm assemblies, the end portions 51b and 52b may have other physical configurations.

The cover 50 as described hereinabove may be constructed from well-known, readily-available materials. By way of example, the sections 51 and 52 of the cover 50 may be constructed from a two-layer material having an outer layer of vinyl, which is washable, and an attached inner layer of cloth. The edges of the sections 51 and 52 are preferably protected by bindings as shown at 65 in FIGS. 4-6. The sheet of stretch material 54 may be of a stretch fabric or, alternatively, of rubber or other similar material.

To cover the arm assembly 1 with the cover 50 so that the pairs of arms 6 and 7 and the pivot plate arrangements 9-11 are enclosed by the cover50, the arm assembly 1 is first preferably placed in a horizontal position with the pairs of arms 6 and 7 extending outwardly horizontally, as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. One end of the cover 50, for example, the end portion 52b of the section 52, is then made to partly enclose the rear pivot plate arrangement 11 and the associated coupling member 32 so that the end portion 52b cups around and grips the end of the rear pivot plate arrangement 1 l and the coupling member 32.The other section 51 is then pulled in a direction toward the front pivot plate arrangement 9, the sheet of stretch material 54 being stretched by this pulling operation, and, when the section 51 has been pulled sufficiently so that the end portion 51b is immediately adjacent to the front pivot plate arrangement 9, the end portion 51b is then made to cup around and grip the end of the front pivot plate arrangement 9. At this time, the cover 50 is under tension with the compressive forces being in a direction toward the center of the arm assembly 1. The zippers 58 and 59 are then zipped up, with the sliding tabs 58c and 590 joining the respective pairs of teeth 58a, 58b and 59a, 59b in the same direction as the compressive forces, that is, in a direction from the end portions 51b and 52b toward the center of the cover 50. FIG. 7 illustrates the arm assembly 1 as shown in FIG. I after it has been enclosed by the cover 50.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, in the particular position of the arm assembly 1 as shown in FIG. 7, the ends of the flap portions 51a and 52a of the sections 51 and 52 are essentially adjacent to each other, and the flap portions 51a and 52, together with the sheet of stretch material 54, overlie the central pivot plate arrangement 10. The other portions of the sections 51 and 52 generally overlie and enclose the pairs of arms 6 and 7 and the pivot plate arrangements 9 and 11.

FIG. 8 illustrates the arm assembly 1 with the cover 50 thereon after the arm assembly 1 has been adjusted so that the pairs of arms 6 and 7 form an acute angle with respect to each other, in the manner shown, for example, in FIG. 2. In this particular position of the arm assembly 1, movement of the pairs of arms 6 and 7 causes the sections 51 and 52 of the cover 50 to be pulled in opposite directions with respect to each other, as the sheet of stretch material 54 stretches, and the sheet of stretch material 54 together with the flap portions 51a and 52a generally overlie the central pivot plate arrangement 10. The flap portions 51a and 52a of the sections 51 and 52 in this case move with the pairs of arms 6 and 7 away from the sheet of stretch material 54 and do not interfere in any way with the covering function of the sheet of stretch material 54. It will be noted from FIG. 8 that a small portion of the sheet of stretch material is exposed when the arm assembly 1 is in the particular position shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 illustrates the arm assembly 1 with the cover 50 thereon after the arm assembly 1 has been adjusted so that the pairs of arms 6 and 7 form an obtuse angle with respect to each other, in the manner shown, for

example, in FIG. 3. Inthis particular position of the arm assembly 1, the movement of the pairs of arms 6 and 7 causes the sections 51 and 52 of the cover to move toward each other so that the flap portion 51a and 52a overlie each other by a slight amount, the two flap portions 51a and 52a and the sheet of stretch material 54 jointly overlying the central pivot plate arrangement 10. The cover 50, therefore, by virtue of itssections 51 and 52 being able to move respect "to each other, is capable of conforming to any particular position of the arm assembly 1. i

While there has been described what is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention as called for in the appended claims. I

What is claimed is: I

l. A cover comprising: '1

a first, generally-rectangular, generally-flat; flexible,

elongated section of materialhaving a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion', said second end portion having acup-like conf guration;

a second, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, flexible, elongated section of material having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion, said second end portion havinga cup-like configuration;

the first end portion of one of the sections overlying the first end portion of the other section;

a flat sheet of stretch material interconnecting the first end portions of the first and second sections;

first means disposed at the edges of the first section parallel to the length of the first section for joining the edges of the first section together; and

second means disposed at the edges of the second section parallel to the length of the second section for joining the edges of the second section together.

2. A cover in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

each of the first and second means includes a slide fastener.

3.,A cover in accordance with claim 2 wherein the slide fastener is a zipper.

4. A cover in accordance with claim 3 wherein:

each of the first and second sections is of a two-layer material including a washable vinyl outer layer and a cloth fabric inner layer.

5. A cover in accordance with claim 4 wherein:

the flat sheet of stretch material is of a stretch fabric material.

6. A cover in accordance with claim 5 wherein:

the first and second sections are of the same length and width.

7. A cover for an arm assembly, said arm assembly including first and second adjacent elongated arms, first means interconnected with adjacent ends of the first and second arms, and second and third means respectively connected with the other ends of the first and second arms, said cover comprising:

a first, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, elongated, flexible section of material having a length generally equal to the length of the first elongated am, said first section further having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion having a cup-like configuration;

a second, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, elongated, flexible section of material having a length generally equal to the length of the second elongated arm, said second section further having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion having a cup-like configuration;

a flat sheet of stretch material interconnecting the first end portions of the first and second sections;

one of the first and second sections being arranged initially with respect to its associated arm so that the section generally overlies the arm and the cuplike end portion thereof embraces the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the arm, whereby when the other section is pulled, together with the sheet of stretch material, in a direction away from the said one of the sections and the cup-like end portion of the other section is adjacent to the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the associated arm, the end portion may be made to embrace the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the arm, said sheet of stretch material overlying the first means when the cup-like end portions of the first and second sections embrace the second and third means;

said first and second sections further having joining means disposed at the edges of the sections parallel to the lengths thereof, said joining means being operable when the first and second sections overlie the first and second arms, respectively, the sheet of stretch material overlies the first means, and the cup-like ends of the first and second sections embrace the second and third means to join said edges together, thereby to enclose the first and second arms and the first, second and third means.

8. A cover in accordance with claim 7 wherein:

the first end portion of one of the sections initially overlies the first end portion of the other section.

9. A cover in accordance with claim 7 wherein the joining means includes:

the first end portion of one of the sections initially overlies the first end portion of the other section. 

1. A cover comprising: a first, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, flexible, elongated section of material having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion, said second end portion having a cup-like configuration; a second, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, flexible, elongated section of material having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion, said second end portion having a cup-like configuration; the first end portion of one of the sections overlying the first end portion of the other section; a flat sheet of stretch material interconnecting the first end portions of the first and second sections; first means disposed at the edges of the first section parallel to the length of the first section for joining the edges of the first section together; and second means disposed at the edges of the second section parallel to the length of the second section for joining the edges of the second section together.
 2. A cover in accordance with claim 1 wherein: each of the first and second means includes a slide fastener.
 3. A cover in accordance with claim 2 wherein the slide fastener is a zipper.
 4. A cover in accordance with claim 3 wherein: each of the first and second sections is of a two-layer material including a washable vinyl outer layer and a cloth fabric inner layer.
 5. A cover in accordance with claim 4 wherein: the flat sheet of stretch material is of a stretch fabric material.
 6. A cover in accordance with claim 5 wherein: the first and second sections are of the same length and width.
 7. A cover for an arm assembly, said arm assembly including first and second adjacent elongated arms, first means interconnected with adjacent ends of the first and second arms, and second and third means respectively connected with the other ends of the first and second arms, said cover comprising: a first, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, elongated, flexible section of material having a length generally equal to the length of the first elongated arm, said first section further having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion having a cup-like configuration; a second, generally-rectangular, generally-flat, elongated, flexible section of material having a length generally equal to the length of the second elongated arm, said second section further having a first end portion and a second, opposed end portion having a cup-like configuration; a flat sheet of stretch material interconnecting the first end portions of the first and second sections; one of the first and second sections being arranged initially with respect to its associated arm so that the section generally overlies the arm and the cup-like end portion thereof embraces the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the arm, whereby when the Other section is pulled, together with the sheet of stretch material, in a direction away from the said one of the sections and the cup-like end portion of the other section is adjacent to the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the associated arm, the end portion may be made to embrace the associated one of the second and third means at the end of the arm, said sheet of stretch material overlying the first means when the cup-like end portions of the first and second sections embrace the second and third means; said first and second sections further having joining means disposed at the edges of the sections parallel to the lengths thereof, said joining means being operable when the first and second sections overlie the first and second arms, respectively, the sheet of stretch material overlies the first means, and the cup-like ends of the first and second sections embrace the second and third means to join said edges together, thereby to enclose the first and second arms and the first, second and third means.
 8. A cover in accordance with claim 7 wherein: the first end portion of one of the sections initially overlies the first end portion of the other section.
 9. A cover in accordance with claim 7 wherein the joining means includes: a first slide fastener disposed at the edges of the first section; and a second slide fastener disposed at the edges of the second section.
 10. A cover in accordance with claim 8 wherein: each of the first and second sections is of a two-layer material including a washable vinyl outer layer and a cloth fabric inner layer.
 11. A cover in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the flat sheet of stretch material is of a stretch fabric material.
 12. A cover in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the first end portion of one of the sections initially overlies the first end portion of the other section. 